Battle of Corunna
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- For the battle near Madrid in the Spanish Civil War, see Battle of the La Corunna Road.
| Peninsular War |
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| Bailén – Roliça – Vimeiro – Corunna – Talavera – Buçaco – Fuengirola – Torres Vedras – Barrosa – Fuentes de Onoro – Albuera – Badajoz – Salamanca – Vitoria - Sorauren |
The Battle of Corunna (or of La Corunna, A Coruña, La Coruña, or Elviña) was a battle of the Peninsular War which took place on January 16 1809, between 14,000 British under Sir John Moore, and 16,000 French under Marshal Soult. Following the disgraceful Convention of Cintra, and the shameful repatriation of the French army following the Battle of Vimeiro, the commanders of the British army were recalled, including Sir Arthur Wellesley, to face a court of inquiry. Therefore, the British expedition to Portugal and Spain was left to Sir John Moore, a military commander of some note for his reformation of light infantry tactics. However, the campaign which followed was marked by privation, and winter conditions which took the lives of over 6,000 British soldiers. The retreat, made in a harsh winter, was a shambles. The exhausting marches, cold weather and frequent skirmishes with the leading French units saw many turn to alcohol and become so drunk they were left behind. This coupled with the sudden arrival of Napoleon himself with an army in Spain forced Moore to begin withdrawing to the port of A Coruña, a far northern port in Spain near the Bay of Biscay.
Political considerations, and a series of tenacious and vexing British rear-guard actions made Napoleon grow tired of the pursuit, and left it to Marshal Soult to finish the elimination of the British army. The remnant of the British army were within sight of the waiting ships of the Royal Navy when Soult arrived with his French Corps. Soult faced the British army at Coruña at the very time it was evacuating. Far from being a bedraggled and decimated army, the British repulsed the French cavalry and subsequent attacks, largely with Moore's brainchild, the light infantry.
Taking the best surviving regiments, including the 51st Highlanders and the 95th Rifles, Moore engaged the French and managed to stave off total destruction, giving the exhausted troops time to board the transports in the harbour. Sir John Moore was struck in the chest by a cannonball during the battle and died shortly after in Corunna, but not before he had saved the army from destruction. Supporting fire from naval friagtes and battleships kept Soult at a safe distance and the British managed to escape and return to Britain. The French attacks were uniformly defeated, and the British army was safely embarked, with a loss of about 900 dead or wounded, including Sir John Moore himself, he was buried at sea shortly afterwards. The French lost about 2,000 men.
Despite the withdrawal of the British army from the Iberian Peninsula, it had against all odds demonstrated itself against a larger and better supplied foe. Despite the loss of Sir John Moore, a commander universally popular with the private soldier, it was a general morale success, much like Dunkirk would become in the Second World War, and did much to contribute to the reputation of the British soldier which arose during and following the Napoleonic Wars.
The British returned to Portugal later that year, refreshed, resupplied and with a new commander, Sir Arthur Wellesley, who went on to become the 1st Duke Of Wellington and a constant thorn in Napoleon's side.
Results
The campaign and Battle of Corunna foreshadowed many of the problems to be encountered by the British army within the Peninsula. First and foremost, it highlighted the need for a reliable method of supply. The sufferings of the British army in the withdrawal were undoubtedly terrible, but worse was that it forced many soldiers to loot and ravish the Spanish countryside. This of course did not endear the British to their Spanish allies. Subsequently the future commander Arthur Wellesley planned a logistical system in conjuction with Spanish, Portuguese, and British units with great efficiency, and ensured that the British consistently paid local suppliers and merchants. The campaign also cited the potential disaster in a winter campaign, which further contributed to much of the privations sustained by the army.
Finally, the lack of communication between allies contributed to an overall disaster. The role of the British army under Moore was to support the role of the Spanish armies confronting Napoleon. However, when Moore arrived at Salamanca, he was unaware that Napoleon had already defeated the Spanish. Afterwards, profound efforts were undertaken to centralise command and communication, mostly under British commanders such as Wellesley and Beresford.
See also
- Maria Pita
References
http://www.napoleonguide.com/battle_corunna.htm http://www.britishbattles.com/peninsula/peninsula-coruna.htm
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